It's been a very, very long time since I've made a blog entry but I'm back! Here's a little explanation of my latest entry. I wrote this almost 2 years ago and within a few days of writing it, before I had a chance to post it, my laptop died! I meant to re-write it but it just never happened. I recently bought a new laptop and was able to recover the original document so here it is! I hope you enjoy and I hope to post more often!
You Run? (Have a baby without
medications?) You’re WEIRD!
OR
Why would you put
yourself (your baby) in danger like that?
I’ve often
compared childbirth to running but recently as I was struggling through a
particularly difficult run I really gained a new appreciation for the
similarities. This epiphany took place
during the “To Bone and Back Relay.” For
those of my friends that don’t live near me, a brief explanation (bear with me,
locals). Each year on the fourth
Saturday in June, hundreds of runners gather for the To Bone and Back
relay. It starts at the office of the
orthopedic surgeons that sponsor the run (get it…BONE, BACK, orthopedic
surgeons…??) it then goes 20 miles up Sunnyside Road to a little farming town
called Bone, Idaho (yes, there IS a town called Bone, Idaho) and then back
again for a total of 40 miles. Teams of one to eight runners form to split up
the five mile legs of the race. This year, I ran the seventh of eight legs. The advantage of leg seven is it is all
downhill (stay away from leg two, it’s all UP hill) the disadvantages are it is
all desert with no shade and since it’s at the end of the race it is usually
run in the afternoon when temperatures are approaching triple digits, oh, and
it’s all downhill.
All morning I anticipated my run, I prepared by packing a small
bag with sunscreen, water, PowerBars, extra socks, Band-Aids, flip flops for
after the race, sunglasses and a CPR mask complete with “how to use” instructions. I hydrated carefully so that I would be
adequately hydrated but not over hydrated.
I ate light so I wouldn’t be nauseated during my five mile run. When the big moment finally arrived my dear
friends dropped me off at the starting point and the leg six runner passed the
bone to me (yes, it’s really a bone-a fake bone but a bone nonetheless) and I
was off. I was excited, relaxed and felt
great. I had my iPod on with my
preselected inspirational music and I had a firm plan for getting through the
next five miles. I had planned a
run/walk regimen because I knew I would never get through running in that heat
for that long. I was actually amazed
when I heard the voice in my ears tell me I’d reached one mile. I was not tired, I was feeling amazing and I
was every optimistic about the next four miles, this was nothing!
This is often how women begin their labor experience. They
prepare ahead, packing items they will need before, during and after. They make
a plan that they are sure will work well for them. Early labor is often motivating and
exciting. Progressing a centimeter or
two feels easy and the next six or seven centimeters feel like they should be a
breeze. The plan is easy to follow to
the letter.
As I approached mile two I began to see that I may need to
alter my plan just a little. The heat
was getting to me, I think I may have gone out too fast in the first mile. I could feel I was struggling but I was still
determined to finish the next three miles. I began to walk a little more often
than I’d planned but still maintained an acceptable pace. I still felt motivated and excited.
Often as women progress through labor they begin to realize
that although they are determined to stick to their plan, they may need to make
some minor adjustments. Maybe walking
the halls isn’t as easy as they had envisioned and sitting on a birth ball or
in a tub of warm water is more helpful.
As I approached mid mile three I was beginning to doubt my
ability to even finish. I was hot, I was
tired and uncomfortable. It was as I
approached mile four that our support vehicle pulled up next to me. Two friends
jumped out and began to run alongside me.
They brought a bottle of water with them and handed it to me. I was so grateful for that water! I wondered how I would have completed the
five mile run if I had not been allowed to eat or drink anything. Such a physically taxing event requires food
and drink. I didn’t want a prime rib
dinner or a large pizza but water and fruit were refreshing and gave me the
energy I needed to complete the task at hand.
I’ve often wondered how we expect women to go through labor
and not eat or drink. Women in labor,
also don’t want prime rib or pizza. They
usually want fluids and light snacks.
Now, the reason food and drink is generally withheld from women in labor
is the risk of aspiration should she require a c-section or other emergency
surgery. As I was running, an ambulance
passed me. I later learned that there
were at least two people treated for heat exhaustion and taken to the
hospital. This could have happened to
me, I could have fallen and broken my leg and required surgery, yet the race
organizers didn’t require that no one take foods or fluids in. They also didn’t require that I run with an
IV in my arm.
Earlier I mentioned the friends that joined me on my
run. Oh, my dear sweet friends. They meant well, they really did…but honestly
if I would have had the energy, I may have inflicted bodily harm on them. Their cheery “come, on, only a mile and a
half to go” was not extremely helpful.
At that point I couldn’t think about a mile and a half, I could only
think about the next step, then the next and the next. One of my running buddies later apologized to
me after her leg of the race. I handed off to her and by the time she was three
and a half miles into her leg she was also struggling in the heat and realized
that if someone told her “faster, only a mile and a half to go” she would have
probably ripped their tounge out!
Often “supportive” family members mean well when mothers are
in labor but are often very annoying! The grandmother that chooses this time to
share the story of the eleven pound baby she delivered that “ripped me in two”
or the mother that decides while her daughter is having a contraction is the
right time to mention that her labors were much harder than what the daughter
is now experiencing-well, they are truly risking their safety. These comments do not belong in the labor
room!
As I approached mile five and could finally see the hand off
area, I began to feel hopeful. I wish I
could say I had a renewed burst of energy but truly, I didn’t. I was still taking it one step at a time but
the one step at a time no longer felt like it was a never ending journey. I also wish I could say I felt great relief
when I finished the run but I didn’t. It
took some time. When I run at home and
have a particularly tough run, I usually come into the house and drop to my
hands and knees where I will breathe heavily and loudly until I can breathe
easily. Because I finished the race with
nothing but asphalt, gravel and sagebrush in sight, I was not able to drop to
my knees and feel comfortable. I had to
walk around slowly and my recovery took longer than when I am able to do what I
need to do to get through it.
The end of labor is tough, pushing a baby out is hard work. It is intense and it flippin’ HURTS! Women need to be able to do what they need to
do to get through it. They need to be
allowed to move around and change positions.
They shouldn’t be restricted to one position or one “way” of doing
it. They shouldn’t be yelled at and made
to hold their breath while trying to struggle through the last few minutes (or
sometimes hours) of labor. No one should
tell them they have to withdraw from the race because they aren’t running fast
enough. No one should tell them they
should withdraw from the race because someone else is tired of waiting for
them. They should only be told to
withdraw from the race when their health is truly in danger.
Once the five mile run was over I was sore and I was
tired. I didn’t earn a prize, I didn’t
earn a medal, I didn’t earn fame-nor did I expect that I would when I signed up
for this race. What I did earn was the satisfaction that I finished a very
physically demanding challenge. I set a
goal and I reached it. It inspired me that
I can do other things that are difficult.
It gave me confidence that I could set bigger goals. The fact that I ran five miles in the heat is
very insignificant to most people. Some
people would tell me they’ve done better.
Some will tell me that it’s crazy that I run at all. Some will tell me I’m “stupid” “crazy” or
even worse-for running five miles. So,
it’s a good thing no one else’s opinion is important.
This holds true for women that choose to birth their babies
without medications. It’s not for
everyone and no one expects it to be but for those women that choose to do so,
they deserve respect and support, not criticism and hindrance.
